Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Mulholland
Hi Julie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Cincinnati two years ago, but my passion for Cincinnati sports has always been strong, along with my support for my Cleveland NBA team, the Cavs. I began creating content for fun on TikTok in 2019 and quickly built a decent following. As I grew more passionate and improved my skills, I shifted my focus to building a presence on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). My content primarily revolves around Cincinnati sports, with occasional posts about the Columbus Blue Jackets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Fever. X is now my largest platform, with 35,000 followers. I often live-tweet games and share my outfits for each game on both X and Instagram.
One of my main goals with my content is to show that women sports fans are just as knowledgeable as guy fans. I also want to emphasize that it’s completely okay to be girly and still love sports. Just because I wear a cute outfit to the game or rock a jersey that I bedazzled doesn’t mean I know less than the guy sitting next to me. Whether you’re girly or not, you can still love the sport just as much as any guy.
That being said, being a female sports fan comes with its own “unique” challenges and often draws more unwarranted attention than being a guy fan. This attention can be both positive and negative. A lot of the hate I receive is based on my gender and appearance, but in some ways, much of the positive attention I get is also influenced by those same factors. I completely understand being called out for a bad sports take, but most of the time, that’s simply not the case. Instead, I often face attacks from random men online who target my gender and appearance as insults. At the end of the day, I just want to be treated like any other fan. I can take sports banter, but when the attacks shift to personal things, that’s when it stops being just “banter.”
Despite the negativity I often receive, the connections I’ve made with other sports fans have been incredibly rewarding. I’ve met some wonderful people along the way, even if they don’t support the same teams as I do. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve loved building a community with passionate fans, regardless of their gender. Social media has opened up so many amazing opportunities for me, both in and outside of sports. I’ve had the chance to connect with local businesses, create content for them, and even receive fun goodies from them. It’s been such a rewarding experience!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I mentioned in my ‘story,’ one of the toughest things to deal with is online hate and creepy people. When I first started, I used to respond to every hateful comment, but I quickly realized that even with a witty comeback, I was just giving them what they wanted—my attention. Now, I either ignore the hate completely or block it.
When it comes to creepy people online, I’ve learned to be more cautious about what and when I post. For example, if I’m at a restaurant with friends, I usually wait until after we’ve left to share anything from there. The block button has truly become my best friend. While I haven’t had many in-person encounters with creepy people from social media, there have definitely been moments where I felt uncomfortable. I trust my instincts and am usually able to read situations well, or I’ll just be honest and call it out, depending on the scenario. Because of this, I rarely go anywhere alone.
Lastly, I’ve struggled with comparing myself to others on social media. I don’t have fancy camera equipment—I just use my phone—and I can’t attend every sporting event I’d like because I have a full-time job. I don’t look perfect in every photo or video I take. We only see what people choose to show online, which is often just the glamorous moments and highlights. Social media isn’t real, and I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work in social media full-time for my 9-5, but I’m more known for the content I create on my personal channels, focusing on sports and Cincinnati-related topics. What I’m most proud of is the fact that I’m still going. Social media can be draining, and there have been plenty of times when I’ve wanted to just stop posting, go private, and start fresh. But I have a real drive for creating fun content, and I feel like I’ve gotten better each year. I take inspiration from other creators and add my own spin to it.
Brainstorming social ideas, both professionally and personally, can get overwhelming at times, but there’s nothing better than when an idea just clicks. The best feeling is when that idea turns into reality and then performs well on social media. It’s so rewarding to see something you’ve created resonate with others and get the response you were hoping for.
My biggest goal this year is to have more fun with it, like I used to, and not take myself too seriously. With the influencer market becoming oversaturated, I know the key to standing out is just being myself.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would say my biggest risk was starting to create content in the first place. No one really expected the shy girl I used to be to have a decent-sized social media presence. There were definitely some people who poked fun at me at first. I definitely cared too much about what others thought of me back then, but eventually, I just started doing something I enjoyed and thought was fun. That shift in mindset made all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notsocooljules/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://x.com/notsocooljules?s=21&t=RDc0kZJykZQuw3o6Tqozug
- Other: julieimdesign@gmail.com
